GameCube and Wii on RetroArch

RetroArch plays Nintendo GameCube and Wii games through the Dolphin core, a libretro port of the Dolphin emulator. It can draw games with OpenGL, Vulkan or Direct3D 11, and can raise the internal resolution as high as 3840 × 3168 for sharper graphics.

This page covers what you need and how to get your first game running.

What you need

A graphics card that supports OpenGL or OpenGL ES 3.0 or higher, Vulkan, or Direct3D 11, depending on which renderer you want to use.
Dolphin's system files (the Sys folder). They hold Dolphin's database of per-game compatibility settings, without which many games have bugs. RetroArch can download them for you; see the steps below.
Your GameCube and Wii games as disc images or other supported files, for example .iso, .gcm, .gcz, .ciso, .rvz, .wbfs or .wad.
A GameCube BIOS is optional. Most games do not need one, but a few titles that rely heavily on the system fonts, such as Star Fox Assault, can be unplayable without it. If you use one, it must be dumped from your own console, in accordance with your local laws.

Setting it up

Install RetroArch for your device from the download page.
Install the core. In RetroArch, go to Online Updater → Core Downloader and pick Dolphin from the list. If you installed RetroArch from the Ubuntu PPA, the Core Downloader is not available and cores are installed through the Ubuntu package manager instead.
Install the system files. Go to Main Menu → Online Updater → Core System Files Downloader and download Dolphin.zip. RetroArch puts the files where the core needs them. If your RetroArch does not have this menu, the Dolphin documentation explains how to copy the Sys folder by hand, so that it ends up here:
```
system/dolphin-emu/Sys
```
Add a BIOS (optional). Name it IPL.bin and place it in your RetroArch saves folder under dolphin-emu/User/GC/, in a folder for its region (USA, EUR or JAP):
```
saves/dolphin-emu/User/GC/USA/IPL.bin
```
Start a game. Choose Load Content, pick your game, and select Dolphin when RetroArch asks which core to use.

You can find where your system and saves folders are under Settings → Directory.

Controllers

Your controller is mapped like a GameCube controller: the right analog stick acts as the C-Stick, L2 and R2 act as the L and R triggers, and R1 is the Z button. The L3 and R3 buttons give half-presses of the analog L and R buttons, which some games, such as Super Mario Sunshine, need in order to progress.

For Wii games, the core can emulate a Wii Remote (held normally or sideways), a Wii Remote with Nunchuk, a Classic Controller and a Classic Controller Pro. A few things to know:

To point at the screen, use the right analog stick or the mouse. Pick which one in the Wiimote IR Mode core option.
Shaking the Wii Remote is mapped to the R2 button; with a Nunchuk attached, L2 shakes the Nunchuk.

Graphics settings

The Dolphin core uses whichever video driver RetroArch is set to:

Vulkan (vulkan): the fastest, because it demands less of your processor. The recommended choice.
OpenGL (gl): available on every operating system. Slower than Vulkan, but more compatible; try it if you run into problems with the others.
Direct3D 11 (d3d11): in some cases faster than OpenGL, especially on Intel integrated graphics.

Useful core options:

Internal Resolution: from x1 (640 × 528) up to x6 (3840 × 3168) for sharper graphics.
Widescreen (Wii) and WideScreen Hack: widescreen options, the first on by default and the second off.

What works

Save states and in-game saves
Rewind
RetroAchievements
Controller remapping
Dolphin's own cheats, through the Internal Cheats core option
Language selection, through the Language core option

Not supported: netplay, RetroArch's own cheat system and softpatching.

More information

Dolphin core documentation: every core option, the full controller layouts, cheats, real Wii Remote support and manual setup.
Setup guides for other systems: PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Sega Saturn.
Other cores available in RetroArch.